R.P.N. Singh, a Congress leader from east Uttar Pradesh, resigned from the party on Tuesday and joined the BJP.

The former minister of state for home affairs posted his resignation letter addressed to Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Twitter and wrote: “Today, at a time, we are celebrating the formation of our great Republic, I begin a new chapter in my political journey. Jai Hind.”

His resignation letter read: “I hereby tender my resignation from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress with immediate effect. I thank you for providing me an opportunity to serve the nation, the people and the party.”

Inducting him formally into the BJP at the party headquarters in New Delhi, education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said at a news conference: “I had told R.P.N. Singh that he was a right leader in a wrong party and he should work with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

Uttar Pradesh BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh and deputy chief ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma were present on this occasion.

Singh said: “The PM has connected India’s culture with the 21st century. I am willing to contribute to his efforts. I worked for the Congress for 32 years. At present, it is not the Congress from where I had started many years ago.”

Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Shashi Walia and state Congress secretary Rajendra Awan also joined the BJP along with Singh.

Last year, Jitin Prasada, who was the Union minister of state for steel and petroleum in the Manmohan Singh government, had left the Congress and joined the BJP.

He was made the science and technology minister in the Yogi Adityanath government.

A Kurmi by caste, Singh may help the BJP keep its Kurmi vote bank intact. According to political observers, the Kurmis have been deserting the BJP following the departure of Swami Prasad Maurya from the party.

Uttar Pradesh labour minister Maurya, a Kurmi, has recently joined the Samajwadi Party while alleging that the state government was working against the reservation policy for OBCs.

Singh was elected as an MLA from Padrauna in 1996 and 2002. Maurya has been representing the seat since 2007. Singh was elected Lok Sabha member from Kushinagar in 2009 but lost to the BJP in 2014 and 2019.

Maurya said: “R.P.N. Singh was an important leader of the Congress. But he would be finished in the BJP very soon. He is not going to get anything there. There are many leaders of the BJP in Kushinagar who dislike him.”

Speculation about Singh joining the BJP was doing the rounds for the last couple of months. However, Singh had said he didn’t believe in political careerism.

Senior Congress leader Rashid Alvi said: “It is unfortunate that many senior leaders are leaving the Congress. Jyotiraditya Scindia, Jitin Prasada and many other leaders across the country have left the party. Our leadership should work to stop this immediately. The government is in the hands of those who are destroying the country. The BJP is destroying the country. The Opposition should necessarily be strong in this situation to stop them. The communication gap in our party should be minimised.”

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate said: “Those who are leaving the Congress are cowards as they don’t have courage to fight against atrocities on the common man.”